Florence Desmond Movies

Reginald Arkell's backstage novel Charley Moon made a successful transition to the screen in 1956. Comic actor Max Bygraves stars as Moon, a small-time music-hall performer with an eye for the ladies. A string of lucky breaks, and a little bit of ruthlessness on Charley's part, allows him a chance at the Big Time in London. His West End engagement is successful, but before long the bloom is off the rose and Charley Moon is back where he started. The impressive supporting cast includes fabled impressionist Florence Desmond and American character actor Lou Jacobi. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comedy, the funniest comic in England is dared by "Scotland's Bluebelle," a popular male impersonator to try his material in Scotland. He accepts and fails miserably. His manager then tries to get him in a smaller club to hone his material, but he finds the audience even less responsive. He is so unnerved that he ends up in the hospital where the impersonator, dressed as a nurse, takes care of him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this comedy, a scrawny barber must compete with a muscle bound thug for the love of a manicurist. Naturally the manicurist is most attracted to the brute until the barber can prove that he is a crook. The two then duke it out in the boxing ring. Later it is the weakling who gets the girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this comedy, a young man learns that he is supposed to inherit some valuable jewels and enlists the aid of his shyster lawyer to see that he gets them. The trouble is the stones are tucked away into the lining of one of six antique chairs that have mysteriously vanished. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The plotline of the Audrey and Waveney Carlton play Gay Love was so well known in 1934 that Variety considered a synopsis "a waste of time." For the benefit of those not familiar with the story, here's a quick run-down: Music-hall comedienne Gloria Fellows (Florence Desmond) falls in love with her sister's well-heeled fiancé Lord Tony Eaton (Ivor McLaren). Good-hearted Gloria is willing to step aside for her sister's sake, but a happy ending is in store for both girls. Famed impressionist Desmond goes through her usual celebrity repertoire, including Garbo, Mae West and ZaSu Pitts, while "Red Hot Mamma" Sophie Tucker plays herself, which is all any of her fans could have asked for. The film's production-number highlight is a New Years' Eve ball, which must have consumed three-fourths of the budget. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mr. Skitch was filmed under such working titles as See America First and Green Dice, which was also the name of the Anne Cameron short story on which it was based. Will Rogers plays Mr. Skitch, who after losing all his money in the stock market, packs his wife (ZaSu Pitts) and daughter Emily (Rochelle Hudson) into the family car and heads off to California, hoping to start life anew. En route to the Golden State, the Skitch family visits a number of familiar landmarks, all courtesy of a background process screen. At Grand Canyon, they meet handsome West Point cadet Harvey Denby (Charles Starrett), who of course is immediately smitten by Emily. Once in Hollywood, Mr. Skitch recoups his fortune when he becomes the manager of "celebrity impressionist" Flo (Florence Desmond, whose imitation of co-star ZaSu Pitts is a riot!) Mr. Skitch was the first of two successful collaborations between star Will Rogers and director James Cruze; the second was David Harum (1934). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this family drama, a woman's children finally convince her to leave her alcoholic husband. Later she finds herself courted by a rich baronet. Meanwhile her children grow up to be angry adults, bitter about their lives. When her husband finally dries out and changes, they reconcile and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Troubleshooting Warner Bros. director William McGann was dispatched to Warner's British-cousin Teddington Studios to helm Murder on the Second Floor. John Longden heads the cast as an aspiring British writer who utilizes his boarding-house neighbors in a fictional murder story. Fiction, of course, soon becomes fact when one of the boarders is knocked off. Casting himself as a detective, Longden gets in over his head when he attempts to solve the mystery. Murder on the Second Floor was based on the gimmicky stage play by Frank Vosper. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This romantic war drama takes its title from the 18th century Henry Carey song about a plucky but poor girl waiting for her love's seven years of indentured servitude to end so they can wed. Like the heroine in the song, Sally Winch (Gracie Fields), a singer in a café, is in love with a young man, George Miles (Ian Hunter) but must wait for him to return from the service in order to marry. However, George's letters stop coming, and Sally fears that her betrothed has been killed. That's just what George wants Sally to think, because the truth is that he has been crippled in battle and is ashamed to face her. Eventually, George is shipped home. He and Sally reconcile, but then the couple faces another challenge, Florrie Small (Florence Desmond), who wants to break up the happy couple. The fourth film to use the title of Carey's song but the first that was a talkie, Sally in Our Alley (1931) made a star of vaudevillian Fields. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi